Gate-latch



Patented Nov. l5, I898.

.1. M. mount 8. E. mass.

GATE LATCH.

(Application filed May 6, 1898.)

'2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

witnesses attowaqo we NORRIS PETERS cu. wuorauma. WASHINGTON. n. c.

NrTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JONATHAN M. MOORE AND ELIHU HESS, OF NEWTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,406, dated November 15, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JONATHAN M. MOORE and ELIHU HEss, citizens of the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Roane and State of West Virginia, have in- Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in farm, yard, and garden. gates; and the object is to provide a simple, durable, effective, and automatic latch for a self-closing gate of this character.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the device, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings show our invention in the best form now known to us; but many changes in the details might be made within the skill of a good mechanic without departing from the spirit of our invention as set forthin the claims at the end of the specification.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts of the invention in the several views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a self-closing gate having our improved automatic latch applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows the position ofthe latch mechanism when unlocked. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the latch released from the keeper. Fig. 4 shows the gate open. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the keeper.

1 and 2 denote the usual fixed or stationary gate-posts, and 3 the gate proper, which is formed of the vertical parallel bars 4 and 5, the double bars 6 6-, and the horizontal parallel rails 7, 8, 9, and 10.

12 12 denote alined screw-eyes fixed to the bar 4, which engage the vertical arms of the staples 13 13, fixed to the post 1, and which form the gate-hinges.

14 represents 'a rod fixed in the upper ends of the bars 4 and 5 and on which is journaled a grooved roller 15, which rests upon the curved arm of the bracket 16, fixed to the post,

Application filed May 6,1898. Serial No. 679,935- (No model.)

and which supports the weight of the gate in such a manner that when the gate is opened in either direction the roller will ride up on the bracket-arm 16 and when the gate is released it will ride back again, the weight of the gate causing it to swing to and restore it to its closed position.

17 denotes the keeper secured to the post 2 in a recess formed to receive it, its upper face being provided with oppositely-inclined edges 18 18 and a central vertical slot or recess 19, while its lower face 20 presents a crescent-shaped curved edge, as shown.

21 denotes a diagonal brace secured to the horizontal rails, and 22 represents the latch, the rear end of which is fnlcrumed on the bolt 23, fixed in the diagonal brace 21. The free end of the latch extends between the parallel bars 6 6, so as to engage the keeper 17. To the rear end of the latch is fixed the lower end of the handle 24, which extends above the top rail 10 and between it and the guard-rail 25, and 26 denotes a cross-brace connecting the latch and handle, as shown.

A longitudinal spring 27 is fixed at one end to the top of the rail 9, so as to support the latch when the gate is open, and its free end projects under the curved edge 20 of the keeper 17 when the gate is closed, thus relieving the latch of its support and allowing it to drop down in the slot or recess 19.

28 represents a vertical hand-lever fulcrumed on the top rail 10, and from its lower end a rod 29 extends to a swinginglever 30, also fulcrumed at its upper end on said top rail, and from the lower bifurcated end of said lever 30 a locking-bar 31 extends to a transverse locking-bolt 32, which rests upon the forward end of the latch, the lower face of the bolt 32 being formed with a longitudinal groove 33 to straddle the latch and at the same time permit the bolt to slide longitudinally on the latch.

34 34 denote transverse alined recesses or notches formed in the inner edges of the double bars 6 6 and which are adapted to receive the ends of the bolt 32 when the latch is in the keeper, and thus prevent the latch being raised as long as the bolt 32 is in the notches 34.

To open the gate, the upper end of the lever 28 is thrown forward in the direction of the handle 24. This movement draws the bolt 32 out of the notches 34, so as to release the latch and permit it to be raised, which is done by throwing the handle 24 rearward in the direction of the hand-lever-28. This movement raises the latch out of the keeper and the gate being free may be opened in either direction. In opening the gate as soon as the free end of the spring 27 passes from under the keeper it flies upward and comes in contact with the latch, thus supporting it in an elevated position, so that when the lever 28 is released the bolt 32 will slide back on the latch and rest against the edges of the bars 6 6 above the notches, the bolt being prevented from engaging the notches as long as the latch is raised. As soon, however, as the gate swings to the spring 27 passes under the keeper, thus withdrawing its support from the latch, which drops into the slot 19 in the keeper, and as soon as the latch falls the bolt 32 slides forward into the notches 34 and locks the latch in the keeper, thus securing the gate in such a manner as to render it practically or absolutely impossible for the stock to open it.

The bracket 16 is so formed that the curved arm or track on which the roller rides curves gently upward in opposite directions from its center to the shoulders Ct a, thence abruptly downward, where its free ends converge inwardly and are fixed to the post 1, and if the gate be opened so that the roller 15 is at any point on the bracket 16 between the shoulders a a the gate will close itself when released. If, however, the gate be opened so that the roller will rest upon either of the shoulders a a, the gate will remain open until it has been moved forward, so as to carry the roller from the shoulder, when it will swing to and close by gravity and automatically latch and lock itself, thus making a very useful and convenient gate for general purposes.

Having thus fully described our invention,

what We claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with the hinged gate, the latch device comprising the latch 22, the supporting-spring 27 projecting into the path of said latch, the handle 24, and the diagonal cross-brace 26 fulcrumed on said gate, of the stationary post 2 and the keeper 17 fixed to said post in the path-of the free ends of said latch and spring, substantially as shown and described.

2. The gate having the notched bars 6 6 and the latch 22 extending between said notched bars, in combination with the notched sliding bolt 32 encompassing the upper edge of said latch and means for withdrawing and projecting said bolt into the notches in said bars to release and lock said latch, substantially as shown and described.

3. The hinged gate having its vertical bars 6 6 formed with the notches 34, the latch 22 pivoted on said gate, the. hand-lever 2S fulcrumed on the gate, the swinging lever 30 pivoted on the gate, the rod 29 connecting said levers 28 and 30, the locking-bar 31 pivoted at one end to the lever 30, the bolt 32 fixed to the lower end of the lever 30 and encompassing the upper edge of saidlatch, so as to engage the notches 34, and the spring 27 fixed to the gate so as to support said latch, in combination with the stationary post 2 and the keeper 17 fixed to said post and projecting into the paths of the free ends of said latch and spring, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JonATHAN M. MOORE. ELIHU HESS.

Witnesses:

J. (J. CooK, E. N. Cook. 

